The Darkest Moon
by Thehighestascension
Summary: Remus, never having been allowed friends due to his condition, comes to Hogwarts expecting to keep his head down and try to make it through without getting kicked out. Sirius quickly takes an interest and has other plans for him. Part one of a three part series. Rated M for later scenes. RemusxSirius and some JamesxLily.
1. It Begins on a Train

**AN: Well hello Everybody! So this is my first story and I'm hoping for it to be a good one. I've decided to make it a 3 part series starting off with the Marauders' Hogwarts years, then the out of school until James and Lily die, and then after Sirius breaks out of Azkaban. This is starting off during their first year to set the stage a bit and will point out some important moments through the years but it's going to take place mainly in their later years. Thanks for reading and I would really appreciate a comment or two to see how my first attempt is making out!**

* * *

King's Cross was crowded as witches and wizards (unnoticed by the muggles around them) slipped quietly through the barrier of Platform 9 ¾ on the First of September. Summer was coming to a close and their children were returning to Hogwarts to continue the adventures that always seem to thrust themselves upon the unsuspecting. Parents were teary-eyed seeing their children run to the train after a quick hug and kiss that would have to last them for months. One young boy, however, was standing behind his father and his mother tried to coax him out. "Now Remmy," she lectured, "I know you're nervous. But Professor Dumbledore is going to meet with you next week after you get all settled in. He's going to be sure you're safe and tell you exactly what needs to be done to keep the others safe as well. We've thought of everything and I promise, my darling, that no one will know. You'll be able to have a normal life for the first time in years and you deserve it. This is your chance, and now you have to take it." Mrs. Lupin's voice softened as she spoke, knowing full well the danger that could lie ahead but instead decided to give her son the support he needed to be sure he was safe.

"Your mother's being soft on you, Remus. You need to watch your back and keep to yourself. No one can find out or you'll lose all of this, do you understand me? I said do you understand me, Son!" Remus Lupin quickly nodded his head, his eyes full of fear for the future. Instead of walking back out to the car, as he had been planning to do all morning, he grabbed his trunk and walked to the train giving a last parting kiss to his mother. As he walked away he heard his mother and father arguing in hushed voices, "You're going to ruin this for him," his mother spoke in that soft, yet powerful tone that she used whenever her son was under the line of fire, "he's just a boy and we both know that this is not his fault. Why shouldn't he have the chance to live? It's as though you've already sentenced him to death!" Lyall Lupin held the bridge of his nose knowing that this would continue for a while. "He can't let his guard down, Hope, and you know it. What if he does and one night someone gets hurt? Where will that leave him? At least at home we could watch him and make sure that he didn't kill. Did you ever think of what would happen? What would the ministry do? What if he turns another kid? That would be on our heads!" "No, Lyall, it would be on yours," and with a determined air, Hope shouldered past him and through the barrier. Remus' father, looking around to be sure no one had heard them, quickly followed after her.

Across the station a cold looking man and woman were saying their goodbyes to strong-willed boy with long hair and light gray eyes who looked like he would have preferred to see himself off. Near them, a young boy with messy black hair was being coddled by his mother and father in a way that let the whole station know he was being well-taken care of. He had a relaxed sense of self with a bit of pride, knowing that his name could get him far. The train whistled and all of the students remaining on the platform scrambled to the train with their baggage in tow. Parents waved from the platform as the train pulled out of the station and around the bend, on its way to the best Wizarding School in all of Europe.

* * *

The train compartments filled up quickly and two young boys were left with nowhere to sit. They looked at each other and smiled, taking the other's hand for a shake. "Sirius Black," the boy with the cold family said with a grin, "and it seems like we're in a pretty similar predicament."

"Ah yes, James Potter's the name. I've heard quite a bit about the Black family," the messy haired boy replied. Sirius' eyes immediately darkened to dark steel. He looked at James, waiting for his cue to find his own place to sit. He knew of the Potter family, of course. His mother ran through a list of the blood traitors to him at the station so he would know who to stay away from while out from under her watchful eye. He had made a mental note to befriend each one as quickly as possible. James, noticing Sirius' reaction started to frown but instead pushed it aside, knowing that his mother had just told him to watch his seemingly above-you-all personality or he'd never make a real friend. "Would you mind looking for a compartment together? I've already gone down that half of the train," he gestured with his head, "but I'm sure there's something down that way." Sirius was surprised, but he wasn't going to question it. With his family history he'd take any friend he could get. "Of course mate, I was just about to search down there myself. I think there's one down towards the end that still has room," Sirius explained joyfully. He grabbed James' arm and walked them both back, determined not to let his mother's voice ring through his mind.

Looking into each compartment as they passed, they finally found one with a frail looking boy with sandy blond hair sitting alone with his arms curled around his knees and staring out the window. James knocked but the boy didn't even look up and James assumed that perhaps he was deaf and began waving to get his attention. Lupin finally glanced up at James with a curious and slightly concerned look. "Are you alright?" Lupin questioned. "We might be asking you the same thing! We've been standing here for five minutes at least, right Sirius?" Sirius nodded his head, happy to be included. "My name's James Potter and this here is Sirius Black. We've been up and down the train but everywhere is full. Do you mind if we…?" James trailed off with his hand stuck out. Remus looked down at it, trying to decide what to do. The last words of his father were echoing through his mind but instead he pushed the image of his mother into head. She had a wonderful way of keeping his demons from getting to him. Slowly he took James' hand, then Sirius', and all three boys smiled at each other. James and Sirius sat down in two of the empty seats.

They had been chatting for a bit when a red headed girl enters their compartment introducing herself as Lily Evans. James, wanting to impress her, throws his name around a bit trying to see how she'll react. Being a muggle-born, Lily had no idea who the Potters were, or the Blacks, or even what magic was until a couple of months earlier. Soon after that she got quiet, thinking about a fight she had with her older sister Petunia. Although her parents seemed quite proud of her, Petunia was disgusted with her abilities. Or perhaps jealous. Lily couldn't tell the difference anymore. She recanted the scene to James, Sirius and Remus when she heard a familiar voice at the door. She looked up at Severus Snape and smiled, happy to have at least one person she knew. Of course, the good humor of the car didn't last long as Snape announced his Slytherin prospects. The other boys knew all too well the type of person that wants to be put in Slytherin and turned cold towards him. Lupin, keeping quiet, watched as the other boys hurled insults at Snape, causing Lily to pull him out of the compartment and find somewhere else to sit. James looked at the other two boys with wide eyes, announcing to them both that he was going to marry that Lily Evans if it was the last thing he ever did.

* * *

"GRYFFINDOR!" The sorting hat shouted to the great hall as Sirius Black sighed with relief. He had won. Granted he was going to be due a Howler in the morning but, for the night, he was on top of the world. Every Black had been in Slytherin and every Black that was still considered family was a muggle-hating Purebloodist bastard. Sirius was born into a family where he would never fit and when he was little he found quickly that he didn't want to. It started early: he had tried to befriend a little Halfblood girl who lived a few streets over. His mother pulled him away by the arm so fast he didn't even have a chance to ask her name. A few days later, to get back at her, he went up to a muggle boy and gave him the cookie that Kreacher had made for him. As soon as Walburga caught up to him she dragged him home by the ear kicking and screaming. His father, Orion, was told and in order to keep his wife off of his back, Sirius was given a black eye to teach him to keep away from the dirty muggles, as was the Black family way. Most soon learned their lesson and dropped the rebel act to save themselves the pain, but Sirius had instead just gotten cleverer, and this was the icing on top of the cake. He made his way to the Gryffindor table and sat down waiting for the rest of the first years to find out who their new families were going to be. He was joined at his table by Lily, Remus, and James, a boy named Peter Pettigrew, and a few other girls although he didn't bother to catch their names. Instead, he was focused on the Lupin boy. Sirius was confused by him and he didn't like to be confused. He seemed so shy but then all of a sudden a quip would leave his mouth and everyone would be stunned, and then Lupin would look away again. This boy was a mystery that Sirius didn't want to leave alone.

* * *

Remus, looking around nervously, had never been around this many people in his entire life. His father had never allowed it and now Remus could see why. It was terrifying. He had hoped so badly that he would just be left alone, it hurt less that way. He knew that sooner or later the boys he had such a lovely train ride with would find out his secret and want him gone—not that he could blame them. If the situation were reversed, he wouldn't want to sleep next to a werewolf either. He knew that he couldn't let himself get close to them or it would just end badly, and he wasn't exactly sure for whom. The others seemed nice, but they probably just pitied him. They probably noticed him crying before they sat down with him and thought that it would be too awkward to leave. He knew it must be true. Why else would they have stayed?

The feast ended and the Prefects led the first years up to the dormitory. Remus had to admit that he had never seen anything quite like Hogwarts. It was both terrifying and mystifying, but left him with a feeling of excitement. He would make the most of his time here (while trying to stay as unattached as possible) and then move on when he forced to go. The common room was warm and inviting with a fire crackling away merrily. The red and gold seemed to engulf him, but he had to admit it brought cheer to the room and instilled a sense of family ties. They were all Gryffindor's. They needed to have each other's backs. This was probably the closest thing to a real family Remus was ever going to get. Little did he know, Sirius was thinking the same thing.

After climbing the stairs up to the first year's dormitory, Sirius ran from the back of the group and called, "I get the bed next to Remus!" Remus looked at him with surprise. Sirius looked back and smiled, not explaining himself but instead climbing under the covers and quickly falling asleep. Remus shrugged, figuring it to be more pity, and climbed into his own bed and dreamed of a moon that never filled to the brim.


	2. Too Fast Friends

**AN: So I don't think updates will happen quite this quickly since I have a lot of finals coming up but I had some spare time today! Thanks for the reads and follows guys. This is the last Ch. that takes place in their first year.**

* * *

"Jeeze, Remus," Sirius said while reading over his shoulder and smiling, "In trouble already? I knew I liked you." Lupin carefully folded up the letter from Dumbledore and turned to face the other boy, plastering on a smile. "No, I think I'll have to leave that to you and James," Remus replied, "My mother is quite ill at the moment so I have to go home every few weeks to see her. Dumbledore simply wants to make the arrangements with me."

"Do you want me to walk you over there? I have some time until I have to meet James," Sirius asked hopefully. He didn't like leaving his new friend alone. "No, no Sirius it's fine, I can manage," Remus responded. He didn't know what to do. He liked Sirius and James well enough (Peter he was still iffy about) but Sirius seemed pretty intent on not leaving him alone. He had been trying to hold back because he knew better than to get attached but he had never had someone so curious about his life before. This entire first week of classes Sirius had been hanging on him like a leaf on a branch and he had no idea how to shake him. Lupin could just hear the words of his father running through his head. What if he DOES kill someone one day? As much as he tried to put it from his mind every day, the threat was still there. He was always afraid of it. He would kill himself before he hurt someone else. It was his silent promise. But here he had Sirius, meaning no harm and just trying to make him feel included but Remus just couldn't handle it. The closer he was to other people, the stronger the threat was. He couldn't let Sirius, James or anyone else for that matter get any closer to him.

"Remus come on; just let me walk with you!"

"Sirius, you don't even know me. Please, just back off. It'll be better for the both of us."

Sirius looked hurt but Remus didn't care. He was doing it for Sirius' own good. "Okay, Remus, okay," and with that Sirius left the dormitories and headed down to the ground to sit alone. "Was I too obvious?" he thought to himself. He had just never met another kid like Remus. He seemed so smart and witty but for some reason Lupin just wouldn't let it show. There was so much buried deep beneath the surface it looked like it was boiling out of him most days. There would be glimpses of this charismatic boy who would go unmatched in an argument and was sure to be top of the year, as far as Sirius could see. But Remus wanted nothing to do with him. Sirius sighed and looked at the water. He knew exactly what he was feeling because he had felt it before. Crushes weren't foreign to young Sirius Black; he'd been in this exact situation so many times before. Never with a boy as mysterious and terrifying as Remus Lupin though. But now Remus hated him because he couldn't control himself, again. That always seemed to happen.

Sirius was an exuberant kid, he just couldn't help it. He'd been locked away for so long that all he could do most of the time was run around in circles speaking a mile a minute; the second he let go of the control required by his mother, a nerve in his brain snapped and for the life of him he couldn't get it back. He was tired of being quiet and reserved, having to pretend that he was concerned with the blood status of the people around him. He was tired of his mother barking orders and his father not standing up for him anymore. It had been easier when he was little; his father liked him a lot more back then. Or maybe he just screwed up a lot less. As hard as he tried to act like his mother wanted and believe what she spit into his ear, he just couldn't take it after a while and sometimes something slipped. Or as he got older he just found different ways of channeling the anger he felt inside. Pranks helped a lot in that way but his mother hated them. Sirius couldn't even count the broken ribs he'd gotten being kicked to the floor, feeling the crunch and snap as her boot met his bones. Remembering all of this got too much so he got up to go find James, vowing to himself to leave Lupin alone. Maybe then he'd begin to open up.

* * *

"Enter!" the Headmaster called after Lupin knocked on his door. Shuffling inside, Remus took a seat on the comfortable armchair opposite Dumbledore's desk. "I just wanted to thank you again, Professor, for giving me this opportunity. For not…"

"Believing all that your father says?" Lupin looked up at Dumbledore but then frowned and nodded his head.

"Mr. Lupin you do not have to thank me again. I'm not doing anything particularly special; I'm allowing a student into the safety of Hogwarts where he can grow away from, shall we say, negative influences.  
"But my condition…"

"It's completely under control. It may not be very humble of me but from time to time I do have to congratulate myself on my excellent ability to come up with ideas. Now Mr. Lupin have you ever heard of something called a Whomping Willow?" Dumbledore asked, putting an end to Lupin's argument.

"I read about them once, they're quite rare. And dangerous. "

"That may be so, but I have decided it's our best course of action. I have acquired one through the means of a young wizard and it has been planted on the grounds. Below it, there is a tunnel that leads to an abandoned building in Hogsmeade. There is a small knot in the tree that as soon as it is pushed the tree will immobilize and it will be safe to approach. I must ask you not to tell any of your friends of this; if they knew how to immobilize the tree then you could be met with a very large problem one night. Every full moon, you will pack a bag as is needed to pretend you are returning home and then you must meet Madame Pomfrey in the infirmary. She will walk you down the tunnel each night and then the next morning she will attend to any wounds and bring you back to the infirmary to rest. . All of your professors have been informed of your condition with the approval of your parents and I trust them all to keep the secret. You can take as much time after each moon to recover as Madame Pomfrey commands and each Professor will bring the notes to you. Now Mr. Lupin, do you have any questions?"

"What if someone hears me? What are they going to think?" Remus asked. He was beginning to worry that someone might come to investigate to be sure there was no one in trouble.

"Ah I'm glad you asked," The Headmaster said with a slight twinkle in his eye, "Funny things, rumors are. They spread very quickly in a town the size of Hogsmeade. The other day I accidentally let it slip that I had heard from a very reliable source that it's the most haunted building in Britain. Now, everyone seems to be too afraid to approach it!"

Remus smiled, happy that Dumbledore seemed to have thought of everything. "Now, Remus my dear boy, there's no sense staying indoors on a beautiful day such as this. I've observed that young Sirius Black and James Potter seemed to have marked you as one of their own. I think you would do right by spending some time with them. There's no use spending the years ahead alone," and with that Dumbledore ushered Remus out of his office and down the stairs. Lupin had caught a look in the Headmaster's eyes that seemed to know exactly what Remus had been thinking. The electric blue had become slightly unnerving and he thought over Dumbledore's words as he walked away, realizing he had to go and talk to Sirius.

* * *

Remus quickly headed back to the common room to look for Sirius. He found him sitting in the corner talking to James quietly with a pained expression on his face. Lupin walked over tentatively, not wanting to upset Sirius even more. "Yes, Remus?" Sirius asked coldly, noticing the boy hovering nearby. "Sirius, can I—can I talk to you alone for a minute?" James started to push his chair back to stand up but Sirius grabbed his arm.

"James can stay," Sirius argued. He wasn't sure what he'd say to Remus if they were alone.

"Yeah, well, James doesn't want to stay," James countered back. He gave Remus a small smile and walked back up to the dormitories leaving the two boys alone.

"Look, Sirius, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean what I said before. I'm just…not used to having people want to be around me and I was taken off guard and it has nothing to do with you," Remus tried to explain it quickly, worried he was going to lose his nerve.

"Why wouldn't anyone want to be around you, Remus? I know I don't know you very well but, despite what you seem to think about yourself, you're a good guy. You're intelligent and witty and I want to be your friend. So do James and Pete. Are you willing to let us?"

Remus sighed, trying to figure out words to answer with that wouldn't give him away, "Sirius, I can't get into it. It's too complicated and I don't want to drag you down with me. But if you're offering, and willing, to be my friend, I don't want to look the other way. I just want you to realize what you're getting into. I don't have friends. My mother is probably the closest thing I have but my father doesn't like me very much. I don't want to be let down again."

With a small smile Sirius stood up and lifted up his shirt, showing a dark bruise covering his ribs. "Don't worry, my parents don't like me very much either. I can promise you that I don't have any intentions to desert you, and I think I can say that James doesn't either. I think we make a good group, the three of us. And Pete too, of course. But you have to trust us," and with that Sirius looked expectantly up at Lupin who couldn't stop staring at his new friend's ribcage. Sirius, noticing this, quickly tugged his shirt down wondering if he had ruined it again by sharing too much too quick. Lupin, however, quickly walked over to Sirius and put his arms around him.

"I trust you," Remus said softly. With that, they walked upstairs to find James and Peter to go get dinner.


	3. Just a Bit of Chocolate

**Hello everyone! Thank you for all of the reads and reviews. I apologize for taking so long with this chapter, I had a huge test his week and a paper and I spent yesterday catching up on sleep. Hopefully I'll be able to update again within the next few days!**

* * *

"JAMES HURRY UP," Sirius screamed impatiently up the dormitory stairs. He couldn't stop pacing and the room was starting to spin.

"OI CALM DOWN! I'LL BE DOWN IN A MINUTE," James called back, getting frustrated with the rush Sirius was putting him in. He didn't even know what it was for, Sirius wouldn't say anything.

It was the boy's second year. The first went off well for the four; there was plenty of pranking with Remus casting them a side-eyed glance and then hesitantly helping them with almost every single one. Truth be told, James knew they never would have gotten away with any of it if it weren't for Remus. He always seemed to know how to wipe the footprints and he had the forethought necessary to keep them out of trouble. James and Sirius always had a problem of thinking too fast and skipping over the seemingly less-important details. Not Remus, though. His main objective was always to keep his head down and stay out of trouble.

James took the stairs two at a time to keep his friend from pacing a hole into the floor. He ran up to Sirius and quickly grasped him by the shoulders to get him to stop. "Okay," James started, "What is this all about?"

"Okay it's going to seem crazy. We can't talk here. Come on, quick! I'll tell you as we walk to the grounds," Sirius replied, starting for the portrait hole and James reluctantly followed.

"Alright. Now, Remus is going home today and I want to follow him. Don't say anything, I know it's crazy. I just have this really weird feeling. I don't think he's going home. Last time I followed him I saw him walk out with Madame Pomfrey but I didn't see anything after that. If he was going home why wouldn't he use floo powder? What does Madame P have to do with any of it?" Sirius asked all in one breath. James suddenly stopped. Sirius turned to look at him with a questioning gaze. They didn't have much time before Lupin left.

"Sirius," James said cautiously, "There's something I've been noticing. I didn't want to say it because I thought it was too insane. Have you ever really looked at Remus when he came back? He always looks tired and gaunt, which we would expect if his mother was really all that sick. But have you seen the bruises? And the cuts? Have you noticed those? I didn't really start to until a few months ago but every time he comes back he looks like someone took a fist to him."

"Do you think he's being beaten, James?"

"No, no. There's more. But this is the difficult part so please just hear me out first. So a few months, do you remember that astronomy project we had? Where we had to plot the phases of the moon?" Sirius nodded in recollection. "Well, that month Remus left on the full moon. I remember because I was walking up to the astronomy tower as he was walking down to Madame Pomfrey's. Then the next month, I was going to ask him if he wanted to sneak out and fly around a bit with us by the moonlight, but he said he was going home. And I guarantee that when we go outside tonight that there will be another full moon waiting for us. Sirius, I think Lupin's mom is a werewolf!"

* * *

Ten minutes later, sure enough, James and Sirius saw Remus being led out onto the grounds by Madame Pomfrey. "Maybe they have to take a special way," Sirius whispered, "in case she's changed already or something. Maybe he has to go wait at home while she changes and then help her in the morning. Or maybe there's some bloodline thing we don't know about. Maybe they can't change their family? So maybe Remus goes and sits with her while she changes and gets the rough end of it."

"I don't know mate, but look! They're walking over to the Whomping Willow! What are they doing that for?"

James and Sirius quickly followed behind them and watched as Madame Pomfrey grabbed a twig and pressed a knot in the tree. They heard her tell Remus that she would be back to check on him at sunrise and, after making sure he was safely in the passage, started back off for the castle. "Come on, quick! Do you remember which knot it was?"

"Sirius," James whispered, "I don't really think this is a good idea. What if I'm wrong? I really think we should just go back upstairs and talk to Remus when he gets back. Sirius, come on!" Sirius had already frozen the tree and was climbing into the tunnel. James, with a sigh, followed after him. When they reached the end, they entered a dilapidated old shack and there was Remus, sitting on the floor rocking back and forth with his arms around his knees.

"…Remus," Sirius said to let the pale boy know they were there. "Remus…it's okay. We know. We know your mom is a werewolf. We want to help!" Suddenly, Sirius realized, their assumption didn't seem all that correct.

Remus looked up quickly. His eyes immediately turned to frightened circles and started yelling for them to get out. They wouldn't budge so he started to punch them, each one taking James and Sirius a little closer to the door. Then, Remus froze. James and Sirius looked worried as they saw his body tense up and look out the window to the full moon. "Please….please, go. Now. You have to go right now," Remus cried, feeling his bones start to break and reform into the wolf's. After that all he could do was scream which quickly turned into a howl.

"Remus!" Sirius cried, wanting to go and hold his friend who was in so much pain. James, however, grabbed Sirius by the sleeve and pulled him out the way they had come in. They ran panting to the castle but distantly they could hear the howls of the wolf.

"Oh God," James said, terrified for the little boy who he claimed as his best friend. "Sirius, we need to go back to the dormitory. We can't do anything more tonight. Tomorrow we'll talk to him. I promise but Sirius you have to promise me you won't go back there tonight. I know. I know that you just want to help him but there's nothing we can do. He'll change you if you go back, or even worse."

"I don't care!" Sirius yelled defiantly.

"I know you don't care but for once think about what's in the best interest of someone other than yourself! What do you think would happen to Remus if he hurt you? Not only that, but how would he feel? You're his best friend! The most you can do now is think of what you're going to say to him tomorrow. We need to find a way to let him know that we don't care. That he's still our Remus. Do you promise me, Sirius?"

"Yeah, yeah," Sirius whispered, defeated. They had made it back into the dormitory and James sat down onto his bed but Sirius collapsed into Lupin's, holding onto his pillow for dear life as if it could somehow transfer to the wolf.

* * *

The next morning dawned too late for Remus. He hated that the nights were getting longer. The longer the moon was up, the longer he had to be out of control. The longer he had to be a carnivorous, violent beast. The last night had been particularly rough on him and he didn't even try to move and get himself ready for Madame Pomfrey. She knew to expect this sometimes and he could feel that his wounds were particularly brutal. He could feel at least 3 cracked ribs, a broken collar bone, and his entire right leg seemed to have been smashed under something. No, he wasn't going to move for a bit. Suddenly, he remembered what happened last night before he had changed. "Oh god!" Remus exclaimed. Did they get out in time? Did they see him change? Did they hear him become more animal than man? He couldn't smell them anywhere so that calmed him down a bit. At least he hadn't hurt them. What was it that Sirius had said? Something about Lupin's mother being a werewolf? It didn't matter. They obviously knew the truth now. Remus knew exactly how they would look at him now. Their eyes would be full of fear and loathing and hell, they had probably already told the entire school. He should have listened to his father.

Soon Madame Pomfrey arrived with potions to take away the pain and carefully transported Remus back to the castle so she could heal him more efficiently. She commented on his injuries and how bad they seemed compared to usual but all Lupin could do was shrug. He didn't know how to tell her what had almost happened. Madame Pomfrey, however, was a smart witch. She could tell when she was being lied to faster than any other. Too many people lie about injuries and she was the one who always had to figure it out. With Remus, though, it would be more serious. She healed him as gently as she could and then went to fetch the Headmaster. The three of them needed to have a talk.

* * *

"Remus?" Dumbledore spoke quietly pulling back the curtain around the bed, "do you feel up for a word?"

Lupin knew what was coming. The whole school knew and now he was getting kicked out and he'd have to live off of his parents forever. Dying would be easier.

"Remus, what happened last night? Poppy has expressed her concern to me and I must admit that I agree with her. Your injuries were much more severe than usual. Please, you must tell us what you remember. We need to take care of your safety, as well as the safety of others."

Remus was surprised that Dumbledore didn't already know and he found himself at a loss for words. He tried to just start at the beginning, "I don't know how it happened. James and Sirius must have followed me or something because as I was sitting on the ground getting ready for the change, they barged in and said something about knowing my mother is a werewolf. By that time the moon was beginning to rise and I tried to get them out as fast as I could. I think that at the end they saw me begin to change and James dragged Sirius out, and that's the last that I remember. I'm positive they aren't hurt. I would have been able to feel it if they were changed or I would have smelled it if I had…you know…" Remus trailed off and looked to Dumbledore for help. Understanding, Dumbledore promised Remus that he would be sure that no word about the last night would get out. With that, he swiftly walked out of the hospital wing to find James and Sirius. Half an hour later, he was back with the pair of them.

"Now Mr. Lupin," Dumbledore began, "I have their strictest words that they will never tell a soul without your permission, but they would both very much like to see you and talk to you. They come bearing gifts, as I take it. You don't have to allow them in, but I think it would be wise to hear what they have to say." Remus gave a curt nod and Dumbledore walked out from the curtains while two sheepish boys cautiously walked in.

"Remus, please, let us speak before you say anything. We swear, we didn't know. We honestly thought you were going to see your mom and she was a….well…you know. We didn't mean to put you into danger and if we stopped and thought maybe we would have realized but you know us, we never stop and think. That's what we have you for. And we promised we wouldn't say anything, if you did decide you didn't want to speak to us again although James and I agree we don't really like that decision but honestly what I'm trying to say is...I brought you chocolate," Sirius finished with a small smile. He knew how much Remus Lupin loved chocolate. He would eat it rather than breakfast any day.

Remus looked up entirely confused. He had been preparing for the worst ever since that morning. There was no way that Sirius and James would want to be his friends anymore, but here they were with chocolate. "You mean, you don't hate me?" Remus asked while beginning to cry. James and Sirius looked at each other with horror and then Sirius grabbed Lupin's face to be sure he was looking into his eyes. "Remus John Lupin, I told you from the beginning I knew what I was getting into and that no problem was too big for me. I will never, ever hate you. Now, all this means that you're required to receive chocolate from me once a month. Maybe more if you're a good boy," Sirius finished with a wink and Remus sat up to hug him before wincing in pain and lying back down. As if on cue, James and Sirius each took a cheek and gave a kiss. James was tiny and hesitant, trying to show his friend he'll always care about him without hurting his already broken body. Sirius' was wet and sloppy, almost like a dog licking his master who has been gone for too long. Remus pushed them both away, dried off his cheek, and flipped them both the bird. "Well, I guess this means we're going to have to figure out some way to tell Pete."


End file.
